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Get an unlocked Google Pixel 2 for $529.99

Priced at $650 elsewhere, Google's flagship offers one of the best cameras on any phone. Plus: I've already scored you a deal on the DJI Mavic Air!

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
3 min read

CNET's Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on PCs, phones , gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter!


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CNET

Friends, you've got one more day to enter for your chance to win a Google Pixel 2 XL and one year of US Mobile service.

In the meantime, here's your chance to score an unusually good deal on the Pixel's smaller sibling: Today only, and while supplies last, Woot has the certified refurbished Google Pixel 2 (64GB) for $529.99, plus $5 for shipping. Need more storage? Choose the 128GB model for $50 more. (At this writing, only the black and white versions are available with 128GB.)

The 5-inch Pixel XL is unlocked for Verizon and GSM carriers. Shouldn't it work with Sprint and its MVNOs as well? I'm seeing some conflicting data on that. At least one online resource I checked indicated yes, but then why does the product listing specifically not mention Sprint? Someone more knowledgeable than I can reveal the answer, hopefully.

Although it's a refurb, it's backed by a full one-year Google warranty. Whether or not that also means "new battery" as with Apple refurbs, I'm not sure. Update: A reader just alerted me that Woot now lists the warranty as 90 days. Sure enough, Woot posted the following comment: "Hmmmm. We're checking on it with our vendor. We're changing it to 90-day for now to be safe until we hear back. If it's not one-year, we will contact everyone that purchased."

The phone for shutterbugs

Here's what you need to know about the Pixel 2 , at least according to yours truly: It doesn't support wireless charging, doesn't have a headphone jack and, thankfully, doesn't have the screen burn-in issues associated with the larger XL model.

What the Pixel 2 does have, according to CNET's Pixel 2 review, is a world-class camera. If you're one of those snap-happy folks, this is definitely the phone for you.

Other noteworthy specs include stereo speakers, free unlimited cloud storage for photos and a Google Assistant you can launch by squeezing the phone(!).

You'll also be first in line for Android updates, this being a Google-branded phone and all. Needless to say, it's as "pure Android" as pure-Android models get.

As you know, I tend to steer clear of flagship phones, simply because I don't think they're worth the premium. But some folks crave the latest and greatest, in which case you might as well get the best deal you can. This is a full $120 off the price of a new Pixel 2, bringing it closer to the cost of many a midrange phone.

Oh, but what happens if you win the contest? Simple: Move up to the 2 XL and sell the 2.

Your thoughts?

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Sarah Tew/CNET

Bonus deal: Speaking of premium products that are hard to justify but you just want anyway, dang it, DJI's new Mavic Air is the hot drone right now. It's also at splurge fund-busting $799.

Allow me to soften that blow just a smidge: For a limited time, Wellbots has the DJI Mavic Air for $749 shipped when you apply promo code RICKAIR50 at checkout. (That code will also knock $50 off the DJI Mavic Air Fly More Combo, bringing it down to $949.)

Will there be better deals down the road? Almost certainly, as evidenced by recent drops on the DJI Spark . But if you just want the Air now, some savings is better than no savings.